Identity Theft as a Defense to a Debt Lawsuit

If the account was never yours, the defense is real — but it needs police reports and affidavits, not just denial.

The short version

Identity-theft defenses fail when they are bare denials. They succeed with a filed police report, an FTC identity-theft affidavit, and documents showing when you first learned of the account and what you did.

What to do, in order

1. T
2. h
3. e
5. p
6. o
7. l
8. i
9. c
10. e
12. r
13. e
14. p
15. o
16. r
17. t
19. n
20. u
21. m
22. b
23. e
24. r
25. ,
27. t
28. h
29. e
31. F
32. T
33. C
35. a
36. f
37. f
38. i
39. d
40. a
41. v
42. i
43. t
44. ,
46. c
47. o
48. r
49. r
50. e
51. s
52. p
53. o
54. n
55. d
56. e
57. n
58. c
59. e
61. w
62. i
63. t
64. h
66. t
67. h
68. e
70. o
71. r
72. i
73. g
74. i
75. n
76. a
77. l
79. c
80. r
81. e
82. d
83. i
84. t
85. o
86. r
87. '
88. s
90. f
91. r
92. a
93. u
94. d
96. d
97. e
98. p
99. a
100. r
101. t
102. m
103. e
104. n
105. t
106. ,
108. a
109. n
110. d
112. y
113. o
114. u
115. r
117. o
118. w
119. n
121. a
122. f
123. f
124. i
125. d
126. a
127. v
128. i
129. t
131. w
132. i
133. t
134. h
136. s
137. p
138. e
139. c
140. i
141. f
142. i
143. c
144. s
145. .

Evidence and records to keep

['File a police report and keep the case number.', 'Complete the FTC identity-theft affidavit.', "Notify the original creditor's fraud department in writing.", 'Raise the defense in your answer with supporting documents attached.', 'Prepare to explain the timeline under oath.']

Verify before you file

Deadlines, fees, and forms in this area are set by statute, court rule, or tribunal practice, and they change. Confirm the current requirement on the official your state self-help portal or with the clerk before relying on anything here. This page is general procedural information, not legal advice, and creates no attorney-client relationship.